Images: The Used, letlive. October 9, 2014 at Brooklyn Bowl

The Used’s Oct. 9 show at Brooklyn Bowl was packed to the gills, both with fans in their late 20s/early 30s (like myself) looking for a bit of nostalgia, and younger fans who must have gotten into the band long after the hay day of their 2002 self-titled record.

Openers letlive. kicked off the night with the first two songs from 2010’s Fake History. There are very few bands that come close to the intensity and stage presence that these guys exhibit on stage. You get the feeling everyone in the band is totally in the moment. Musically, they’re a huge continuation of where Glassjaw left off, with a lot of groove-based riffs that stay technical. It’s also cool seeing the band taking it easy on the few calm songs in the set, allowing the lyrical content to really flourish. Seek and find these guys live. See them! Now!

I looked around as The Used took the stage, and I’ve never seen Brooklyn Bowl so full, which is awesome for these guys. Touring in support of their new record Imaginary Enemy, they started the night off with “Cry” from that record – and the crowd sang along from the first lyric. These guys have been around for almost 15 years, and they still look like they’re having a ton of fun on stage, not just picking up a paycheck like you see with a lot of bands who have that much time in.

To be blunt, I have never seen frontman Bert McCracken so sober on stage. The last two times I saw the band, his vocals were a bit disappointing, but on this night, he was incredible. His screaming has aged well, and the dude actually has a singing voice now. My favorite songs of the night were “Blood on my Hands,” “Best of Me,” and “Take it Away,” and of course, the set-ending “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” from their debut record. I was happy to hear that that song has aged really well. The chords don’t seem so simple and hooky, and the whole thing breathes better.

I’ll definitely be the first in line to see them the next time they roll through town.

-Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens

The Used setlist:

Cry
Take It Away
The Bird and the Worm
Listening
I Caught Fire
The Taste of Ink
All That I’ve Got
Revolution
The Best of Me
Blood on My Hands
Pretty Handsome Awkward

Encore:
A Box Full of Sharp Objects

letlive. setlist:

Le Prologue
The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion
Dreamer’s Disease
That Fear Fever
Pheromone Cvlt
The Dope Beat
Muther
27 Club
Renegade 86′
Banshee (Ghost Fame)